Catalogue

Summary:

“In the Sinfonia Concertante… Graffin and Nobuko Imai steal in perfectly for their first phrase. …they are clearly listening to each other, and responding. Imai’s burnished tone is, as ever, a delight, especially at the bottom of the range.” ★★★★ – Martin Cotton, BBC Music Magazine

“…Both musicians balance the extrovert and interior aspects of these big works remarkably well…. These are enjoyable performances … engaging and often vibrant…” – Jonathan Woolf, MusicWebInternational.com

“… The violinist is in complete control of his instrument, is able to draw on all its resources to interpret the music as he sees fit; and earns a special commendation, as in the Adagio of K216, for not smoothing out Mozart’s often edgy phrasing… Their [Imai and Graffin] playing in the Duos and Sinfonia concertante reveals not only refined technical finish but a just combination of intellectual erudition and emotional involvement…” – Nalen Anthony, Gramophone

“The superlative technique of viola player Nobuko Imai is combined with the sensitivity of her violinist partner Philippe Graffin to produce a heavenly rendition of one of Mozart’s finest works, the Sinfonia Concertante…”  – Gavin Englebert, The Northern Echo

“… Graffin is a fine violinist … and his playing alongside Imai’s immaculate expressiveness in the slow movement [Sinfonia] is wonderfully natural, just as their give-and-take in the two Duos that make up the second disc is perfectly judged…” – Andrew Clements, The Guardian

“…This performance of the 3rd Concerto is simply outstanding. It immediately rises to the top of my favorite recordings of this particular concerto for its unmatched sense of freshness, joyousness, spontaneity and sense of discovery. Graffin plays his own cadenzas, which are always a delight, and the entire approach is stylistically appropriate, with perfectly chosen tempos… what we have here is some of the most glorious Mozart I’ve heard. It is stupendous music-making” – David Rowe, davidsclassicalcds.com

Philippe Graffin’s enterprise and ingenuity have been borne out in the world-premiere recording of the Violin Concerto by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (AV 0044), a disc of commissions and premieres by Lithuanian composer Vytautus Barkauskus (AV 2073), and the first recording of the original manuscript versions of Elgar’s Violin Concerto and Chausson’s Poème (AV 2091). He proves himself an equally eminent Mozartian on his latest Avie release, a two-disc set marking his second collaboration on Avie with the leading Japanese violist Nobuko Imai. In the sprightly Sinfonia Concertante, two delightful Duos, the Third Concerto plus an Adagio and a Rondo, the multi-tasking Graffin takes on the roles of soloist, chamber musician, director, and composer of his own cadenzas. He is backed by the versatile Brabant Philharmonic Orchestra of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The stylish packaging features another typical twist by the resourceful Graffin, who commissioned leading journalist and novelist Jessica Duchen to write a short story for the booklet, which also includes Avie’s trademark comprehensive documentation in three languages.

Tracklist:

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791)

CD 1

Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K216
1. I. Allegro (8:54)
2. II. Adagio (6:39)
3. III. Rondeau – Allegro (5:40)

4. Adagio for violin and orchestra in E major, K261 (6:03)

5. Rondo for violin and orchestra in C major, K373 (5:10)

Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola in E-flat major, K364
6. I. Allegro maestoso (12:52)
7. II. Andante (10:59)
8. III. Presto (5:58)

Total Duration CD 1: (62:47)

CD 2

Duo for violin and viola No. 1 in G major, K423
1. I. Allegro (10:04)
2. II. Adagio (3:53)
3. III. Rondeau – Allegro (4:57)

Duo for violin and viola No. 2 in B-flat major, K424
4. I. Adagio – Allegro (10:47)
5. II. Andante cantabile (3:03)

6. Thema (con variazioni) – Andante grazioso (7:50)

Total Duration CD 2: (40:45)

Philippe Graffin, violin | Nobuko Imai, viola
Brabant Philharmonic Orchestra of Eindhoven

Recorded 22 – 23 June 2006, Deventer, The Netherlands (Duos)
26, 27, 29 June 2006, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (Orchestral works)
Recording: Mediatrack Amsterdam
Producers, Editing: Tom Peeters, Arnout Probst
Recording engineers: Tom Peeters, Hans Strikkers